Playtime
by anonyreaderfan
Summary: When you don't like the way the season is ending you rewrite it the way you want it to be. Klaus has time to play before wrapping things up in Mystic Falls.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warning: This is a work of fiction and no real humans were harmed during writing (as long as you don't count readers offended by the mediocre caliber of my writing). Having said that - if you are kind hearted or squeamish then turn back now. There is a surplus of fluff on the website for you to enjoy.

This is also not for Stelena, Delena, or Elena fans.

xxxxx

Full moon was coming. But not just any full moon . . this was the big one. The moon was at its closest point to the earth for the whole year. He felt it deep in his bones, in the tingle in his skin, but mostly as a niggling in his brain. He knew preciously where it was. The call was deep in his head at the base of his skull, near the spine, something primal. It was seductive, enticing him to give in to it. Deep down . . . anticipation . . longing . . something. He was master of over thirty languages and yet felt he didn't own the words to describe the sensation.

He hunched an irritated shoulder, trying to shrug off thinking about it. He would embrace the change this month, not that he needed the full moon; the change was his when he wanted it. But there was something so alluring about allowing the moon to drag it out of his bones.

Klaus looked up from the clay sculpture he was molding, grinning in anticipation. Two more days and the fun would begin. He would leave Mystic Falls naturally. He intended to give free rein to his thirst for the kill and every animal knows you don't make a mess where you eat. Klaus laughed silently, amused by his own wit. One last full moon in this area and then he was gone.

He was feeling particularly carefree since draining the blood out of Elena. Alaric died the precise moment she did and he was finally free from pursuit. Unfortunate that Kol hadn't survived but he would be searching for his remaining family soon, bringing along the precious doppelganger blood, his key to creating more hybrids. Klaus frowned as he contemplated his offspring. They were somewhat of a disappointment. They were truly animals when they changed, no spark of human intelligence remaining. They scattered, no longer acknowledging the pack or sharing the joy of the hunt. Mindless killing machines and nothing more. He, on the other hand, remembered and relished every kill, every crunch of bone, the hot blood squirting into his mouth, the sweet coppery odor. He got excited thinking about it, but the rub was . . he didn't want to do it alone.

That was the whole point of the last thousand years. So damaged by his parents' rejection and subsequent hate that he couldn't bear the thought of being alone. He wanted partners, family, others of his kind, at the most basic level . . .someone to play with.

A wave of discontent swept over him as he faced the prospect of having no one to share his joy. Suddenly he stopped his work, frowning as he realized that his displeasure had transferred itself to his hands and he had ruined the features he was shaping in the wet clay. He swore to himself as he looked at the mess he had made. He knew he could start over but what was the point? His hands would betray him again while he felt this way. He crushed the ruined form into a wet ball and dumped it into a discard bin. He grabbed a towel and walked out of the room, cleaning the clay off his hands.

It was amazing how when thwarted his face transformed into that of a sullen, petulant little boy. The hybrid currently on house duty took one look at his expression and slunk quietly away to another room.

Klaus restlessly paced through the bottom floor of his mansion, occasionally lashing out at nothing in a fit of pique. Suddenly he stopped short, an arrested expression on his face. What he needed was a ripper. His ripper. He would be the perfect companion for the kill.

Klaus raced upstairs and throughout the mansion at vampire speed, ending up in the hallway, backpack, cloth sack, and cooler in hand. "James." He spoke the name in a normal tone.

A hybrid was before him in an instant.

"I'm taking a little trip and won't be back until after the full moon." He eyed the man, his expression severe. "You know what has to be done. Pack everything up and be ready to leave when I get back. Watch out for Damon Salvatore and the Forbes girl. If he comes back to town they'll be snooping around looking for the Gilbert girl and the Lockwood boy."

"There'll be no problems. " The hybrid assured his sire. "They won't learn anything. We won't fail you."

"Please don't." Klaus could swear he saw relief in the man's eyes as he turned to leave. His hybrids dreaded the change and his dissatisfaction with that fact made Klaus look murderous. "I've had enough disappointment in my life."

Klaus strode over to Rebekah's Jeep, his now that she had deserted him. He dumped the backpack, knapsack, and cooler in the back and hopped in.

He tracked Stefan down at the Mystic Grill. He was conveniently sitting at an outside table drinking coffee, no, Klaus picked up the scent of chamomile tea. He strode over and threw a couple of bills down on the table. "My treat." Klaus dimpled at him.

A human wouldn't have picked up the minute stiffening and other small body changes that indicated a wary Stefan was ready to flee. Klaus, however, read him like an open book and clamped an iron fist on his shoulder, putting enough pressure on the bone to make small fractures radiate out from the point of contact. "We going for a little road trip." Klaus's voice was cheery and the humans whose gaze momentarily slid across the two of them saw only a smiling man with a friendly hand casually laid on a friend's shoulder.

He breathed without moving his lips. "Run and I'll crush the bone into powder."

Stefan, eyes narrowed, hissed with the pain searing his shoulder, the nails in his clenched hands cutting crescent marks in his palms. He couldn't speak, just whipped his head back and forth in a negative gesture.

Klaus smiled cheerfully. "I take it that means you won't run."

"Yes." Stefan managed to get the word out of his dry mouth.

"Upsy daisy with you then." Klaus suited action to words and used his other hand to pull Stefan to a standing position and then manhandled him over to the jeep, barely allowing his feet to touch the ground. Klaus easily opened the door on the driver's side and deposited Stefan in the seat, releasing the painful shoulder grip just before slamming the door shut.

He was in the passenger seat before Stefan had time to open the eyes that were shut against the pain. His shoulder ached like a rotten tooth and he panted in shallow breaths trying to cope with it.

Klaus pulled a small flask from the glove compartment, uncapping it and pushing it up to Stefan's mouth. Stefan didn't object when Klaus tipped the flask up and he tasted blood. Klaus knew he was healing when the tightly clenched jaw and rigid arm muscles relaxed.

He took the flask back, capping the small amount that remained. "One of the downsides of being a vampire. All sensations are enhanced. Fine when it's pleasure. Not so good when it's pain." He didn't apologize though, just punched up a location in the GPS, poked Stefan in the arm, and ordered. "Drive."

"Where are we going?" Klaus's eyes narrowed momentarily at Stefan's question but he merely leaned back in his seat, angling his body against the door, smiling at Stefan. "Humor me for a couple of days and then we'll join up with Rebekah and Elena."

Stefan partially opened his mouth but Klaus didn't give him a chance to speak. "Has your brother had any success finding her? Have you?" When Stefan didn't respond, Klaus smirked. "Then I guess I'm your best shot."

Stefan started the car, but with deep misgivings. The pleased expression on Klaus's face did not bode well for him or Elena. He didn't really trust the hybrid but he was still his best, maybe only hope of finding her.


	2. Chapter 2

At one point during the drive Stefan's phone buzzed. When he pulled it out to answer, Klaus grabbed it from his hand, amused to see the name Damon pop up on the screen. He answered the phone. "Mr. Stefan Salvatore's phone, hybrid speaking."

Stefan clearly heard Damon respond. "Klaus. What did ya do with my brother?"

"What, no hello? Your manners are atrocious." Klaus grinned, enormously pleased with himself.

"Let me talk to my brother." Damon demanded.

"Sorry, he's driving and it's against the law to talk on a cell phone and drive in this state." Klaus immediately added. "You really shouldn't grind your teeth that way Damon. You'll wear down your fangs."

Damon ignored him saying. "I haven't been able to find a trace of Alaric or Elena and Tyler's missing too. Do you know where they are?"

Klaus glanced sideways at Stefan, who turned to meet his gaze. "We're going to see her now. She's with Rebekah and Alaric is safely desiccated and tucked away until we can figure out how to kill him. Tyler might have run away."

Damon protested. "I thought Bonnie's spell didn't wo . "

"I'm sorry, we 're moving out of range now. I can't hear you anymore." Klaus hung up and then crushed the phone, throwing it out the window.

Stefan was suspicious. "Are we really going to see Elena?"

"Don't be such a worrywart. Just drive." Klaus wouldn't say anymore.

Stefan drove well into the night, Klaus finally allowing him to stop at an isolated motel on a small back road. The compelled night manager gave them a room.

Klaus sauntered into the room, visibly sneering at the stereotypical seedy motel room. He frowned at the scuff marks on the carpet and raised an eyebrow at the queen size bed.

"And here I thought you didn't like me." Klaus teased.

Stefan never made it inside the door, stopping dead at the sight of the one bed. He swore under his breath. "Believe it or not, this dump was booked except for one vacancy. There's a lot of hunters in this area. I'll go back and compel him to make someone switch rooms with us."

Before he could leave Klaus said. "No. It'll be a bonding experience for us." He tried to keep a straight face but the sour look on Stefan's face was too much for him and he burst out laughing. He flopped down on the bed, grabbing the TV remote, all the while still chuckling. He turned it on while Stefan carried in the backpack, knapsack and cooler, dumping them on the chipped imitation wood dresser top before slamming the door shut.

Stefan pulled out one of the cheap rickety chairs placed on either side of a Formica covered tiny table. He gazed around in disgust at the shabby furnishings, grudgingly admitting to himself that at least it was clean. The bedspread was polyester attempting to mimic silk but the threads making the quilting pattern were pulled and frayed. The rug had burn marks on it and Stefan's nose detected the faint whiff of cigarette in this so-called smoke free room.

Klaus meanwhile had pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Get us some ice and glasses." He commanded.

Stefan looked at him for a moment before sighing and shaking his head in resignation. He unenthusiastically rose from his chair and looked around. He spotted what was obviously supposed to be an ice bucket along with some plastic cups wrapped in protective cellophane. He threw the cups at Klaus remarking. "Here's the Waterford Crystal."

Klaus deftly plucked them out of the air, remarking. "My, we are very hoighty toity tonight. We've drunk from worse."

Stefan ignored him, leaving the room to search for ice. He soon returned with only a quarter of the bucket full. "What you see is what we got. The ice machine broke this morning."

"Of course, it's broken." Klaus was in remarkably good spirits. "We are in the crap hole of the world so this is all we can expect."

Stefan flung himself back in the chair, watching as Klaus poured eighteen year old aged whiskey into flimsy plastic cups. "And we are in this crap hole why?"

Klaus just smiled and handed him a cup. "Cheers!"

He held the cup out until Stefan took it and then said. "You my friend will find out everything in the morning."

They ended up polishing off the bottle before falling asleep on top of the bedspread, neither man liking the look of the sheets.


	3. Chapter 3

They woke late in the morning, Klaus seeming to be in no particular hurry. Stefan impatiently paced around the small motel room, anxious to reach Elena. When they finally packed their meager gear and left they drove deep into the nearby forest, pulling off onto dirt roads, that resembled old logging trails. When they could go no further Stefan parked the jeep. Stefan's qualms had risen the further into the forest they drove. He felt certain Elena wasn't here and feared whatever Klaus was up to. The hybrid looked over at him. "Time to walk."

Stefan traced a pattern on the steering wheel with his finger, shading part of his face with the other hand. He offered without much conviction. "I'll wait here for you."

Klaus merely smiled and got out of the car. "Lame Stefan, really lame."

Stefan sighed, resigned to his fate. He met Klaus in front of the car, watching as the hybrid lifted his face to the wind and turning his head from side to side. Suddenly he pointed his chin to the North. "There."

Stefan didn't bother asking what was there, just followed the eager hybrid as he took off.

Klaus, all cheerful and friendly, walked into the clearing holding a rudimentary campsite with three tents. "Hello there! Come out! Come over! I have something to say to you.

The four people sitting around the campfire looked up surprised as the flap to one of the tents flipped back and two heads peeked out.

Stefan hung back while Klaus walked right up to them, smiling. "My name is Klaus and you are going to be the entertainment for my friend and I tonight." He beamed at them.

The young man and woman in the tent had come out and the three girls huddled together, the three men forming a barrier between them and Klaus. They muttered among themselves thinking they were whispering, not knowing that their words were perfectly audible to the two vampires.

"This guy's a loon." "We can take them." "Easily." The biggest guy added sarcastically. The other two nodded as they gazed at the unimpressive figure Klaus presented. His slender rather than muscular form consistently caused people to underestimate his strength.

He thought their comments amusing and he swaggered and smirked at Stefan as they listened to them.

Klaus walked up to the biggest guy and looked him in the eyes. "You will do nothing until I tell you." He quickly confronted the other two and then walked to the cringing women, one of them breaking away from the group trying to run. Klaus easily swept in front of her sending her scurrying back to the others. He quickly compelled each woman. Assured that no one would escape he planned his next step. He looked them over. They were all the athletic, outdoorsy type, and their equipment indicated they had backpacked in. He anticipated good sport.

Klaus, looked up to see the moon starting to rise. "Hmmm." He rubbed his chin looking from the girls to Stefan. Suddenly he smiled and walked over to the tallest girl and commanded "Scream in terror." She obeyed and he frowned. "Nope." He went to the next one, a pleasant faced blonde, and repeated the command. He wasn't pleased with her either.

He went to the next girl, a petite brunette. "Scream for me, darling." She let out a high pitched piercing shriek. Klaus smiled and said "Impressive. It's just like they do it in the horror films. You're perfect!" He put a hand at the back of her neck and led her out over to stand in front of Stefan.

Stefan just shook his head. "Don't do this Klaus. Let me go back to the car."

"Don't be a spoilsport! Play with me. She'll get you in the mood." His eyes turned sickly yellow and he opened his mouth to reveal his double set of fangs. He punctured and ripped down her neck several times allowing a good flow of blood to run.

He whispered in her ear. "You're going to die unless you scream as loud as you can. If you scream loud enough and run fast enough you'll live but if you stop running or screaming you're going to die."

The girl's eyes went wild and she screeched repeatedly as Klaus watched Stefan's face. He noted with satisfaction the veins around Stefan's eyes engorging and collapsing. The hybrid, still holding the girl by the neck with one hand, dipped the pointer finger of his other hand in the blood trail and sucked it off, making loud smacking sounds. "Delicious."

Stefan stood still, looking away but little quivers shook him, nostrils flaring ever so slightly as the scent of hot fresh blood assaulted him. He fought for control, begging the girl. "Don't scream, please you don't want to scream." As she continued and his senses were assaulted by the enticing coppery smell a tiny smile, just a slight upward turn of the lips, threatened to emerge, was suppressed, and finally materialized.

Klaus, spotting it, smiled victoriously, and pushed the girl away. "Run . . run . . . run!" He ordered. She obeyed, dashing into the woods, tripping over exposed roots, bumping into trees, but always screaming.

Stefan disappeared in a blur.

Klaus laughed uproariously and started stripping off his clothes as he walked over to the compelled victims. "Take off, all of you being as quiet as possible. Hide the best you can without leaving these woods. Don't contact anyone . . . if you see someone not in this group avoid them. Once we find you then run or fight screaming as loud as you can the whole time." He looked them all over and then commanded. "Go now."

The remaining five dashed off in different directions while a naked Klaus stared up at the now full moon, a huge orb hanging in the sky. His mouth opened wide, as he felt the first bone crack. He embraced the change allowing the transition to complete.

He was not an overly impressive human but he was a magnificent wolf, with huge paws, muscular shoulders, a brushy full tail, and a sleek coal black coat.

He heard a scream abruptly cut off and howled in response. Inhuman speed allowed him to reach Stefan and his victim in mere seconds. He found the vampire kneeling on the ground, worrying her throat, noisily gulping down her blood, his face smeared red. Glittering green eyes spotted him and the vampire froze, growling a warning deep in his throat. The wolf returned the growl, stalking forward, stiff legged. The closer he got the faster the tempo of the vampire's growls. Klaus reached the girl's foot and gingerly reached out to grab the girl's ankle. He felt the blood still pulsing in her veins and she weakly kicked as his teeth latched on. Stefan raised his head from her throat. "Mine."

She tried to scream but her throat was too ripped and she just spurted blood bubbles. The wolf, yellow eyes gleaming, attempted to run, dragging the body but Stefan refused to give it up, and held on to an arm. The body couldn't withstand the pressure and the arm and leg gave way, the shock putting the poor girl out of her misery. Both the wolf and the vampire dived for the body, Stefan getting there first and disappearing in a flash.

The wolf circled, trying to pick up the scent, but it led nowhere. The confused wolf sat on his haunches, tongue lolling out of his surprisingly red mouth, only to finally look up and see Stefan, his lips curled scornfully, perched on a tree limb, cradling the now blessedly dead girl possessively against his chest.

The wolf alternated whining cajolingly and threatening with guttural growls, all to no avail. Stefan refused to come down, sucking on the neck, his gleaming green eyes never leaving the wolf. He started breaking off nearby branches, hurtling them like spears at the dodging wolf.

Annoyed now, the wolf ran back and forth, finally leaping up, hitting the vampire, dislodging him from the tree. They fell in a tangled heap; body, vampire, and wolf.

They both scented the next victim at the same time, vanishing in a dash of superhuman speed. The wolf flushed the victim out, dutifully screaming according to the compulsion. As Klaus went for him, the vampire snarled and pounced on him, preventing the wolf from getting to the victim first. The insolent youngster was challenging him for dominance! Klaus twisted his body out of Stefan's grasp, slashing his shirt over and over again, leaving red gashes.

Stefan dashed away and the wolf ran down the man slashing his hamstrings so he couldn't run anymore. The man desperately tried to crawl away but the vampire was back, sinking his fangs into the man's neck at the same time the wolf did. They were nose to black wet nose, Stefan ignoring the snot spray from the wolf. They each drank deeply, trying to intimidate the other with their deep guttural growls.

Stefan tried to pull the now dead man away by the throat, but Klaus refused to give up and they ended up severing the head. Stefan opened his mouth to catch the blood spray from the faltering but still pumping heart while Klaus playfully chased the head. He caught it by the hair, shaking his head and body from side to side, tossing it and then pouncing on it. Meanwhile, Stefan transferred his bite to the femoral artery.

Klaus came back to drink and Stefan pulled the body away. Klaus immediately bowled him over grabbing him by the back of the neck, putting pressure on the spine. When Stefan growled refusing to submit Klaus increased the pressure on the vampire's spine until Stefan finally gave way, lowering his hips to the ground and allowing his head to hang loosely. The wolf hooked a hind leg over him and ceremoniously humped him establishing dominance. When the vampire made no objection the wolf loosened his grip on the neck and stepped off him.

Together they tore the man's body apart and set off to find the next prey.

The wolf herded the next man like a horse cutting cattle, always in front of him, blocking his retreat. The wolf also kept the vampire at bay . . feint . . sidestep . . . loop . . dart . . dash . . backup . . until the vampire surprised him by leaping over his head and grabbing the screaming, flailing man and sinking his fangs into his neck. The wolf quickly joined in, crushing bone and tearing flesh while the vampire drank.

They didn't stop until the last three were hunted down, toyed with, and finally killed.


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus woke with a vague sense of discomfort. He was lying with his arm twisted behind him and something was up his nostril. He blew hard and dislodged a small twig. There was something hard bruising his hip.

He sighed and leisurely stretched each limb. What a night!

He looked around, bracing his upper body on his outstretched arms to discover he was lying on an exposed tree root. "I picked a fine place to sleep." He muttered.

Dappled patterns from the sun shining through the tree leaves played over his face.

He shifted his knees under himself and sat up, gazing around as he did.

He smiled at he caught sight of six mannequin figures propped into sitting positions, braced against each other. They looked like life size china dolls from a bizarre wax museum, with red lines crisscrossing the bone white skin.

"My crazy diligent ripper." Klaus thought fondly. He remembered Stefan, at the end of the night, obsessively gathering all the body parts and carefully reassembling them before passing out. He threw his head back, silently laughing.

He twisted his body looking for his companion, catching sight of him lying in a fetal position, not far away. Klaus peered closely not sure what he was seeing, chuckling when he realized what it was.

Stefan had lost consciousness, holding an arm, his mouth still fastened to the torn end of the limb.

"Oh, he is going to be so unhappy when he wakes up." He said ruefully.

He stood up, unconcerned that he was naked, and walked over to the disheveled vampire, prodding him with his bare foot. It took several increasing hard kicks before the vampire woke, blinking against the now strong sun. He looked around bewildered, giving a start and grunt of disgust when he realized he was holding an arm. He tossed it at the same time as he hastily scuttled back on his butt, Klaus laughing as he watched.

He groaned as he realized where he was and what had happened.

Klaus couldn't resist mock chastising him, pointing to the propped up bodies. "Bad Stefan, look what you've done with your playthings."

He nudged one of the bodies with his bare toe and the head fell over, hitting the one next to it, causing a cascade of falling parts. "Don't worry." He pretended to console the vampire. "I'll get you new ones."

Stefan looked down at his hands, turning them over, horrified by the dried blood smeared on them, clotted under his nails, and congealed around his cuticles. He frantically tried to scrub his hands on his jeans, on the grass, almost as if he could scrub his conscience clean at the same time.

"Don't forget your mouth and chin." A grinning Klaus teased him.

Stefan's head jerked up and he touched his face, feeling flakes peel off as he rubbed his face.

Klaus watching his frenetic attempts to cleanse his hands finally took pity on him and walked over to where he had noticed a small water jug. He picked up a scrap of torn clothing and wet it, going back to squat by Stefan. He grabbed a hand and started wiping it with the wet piece of flannel. As he flipped the hand over to clean the other side he remarked idly. "You don't have gentleman's hands." He prodded the rough knuckles.

For some reason this distracted Stefan who looked at his fingers and then shifted his attention to Klaus's, noting the calluses on the hybrid's fingers. "Neither do you."

Klaus's eyebrow rose momentarily and he held out one of his hands turning it over. "Weapons – spears and bow and arrows leave their mark. So do hoes and reapers." Klaus then turned his attention to Stefan's mouth and chin, casually wiping it with the still wet cloth.

"Klaus." He meant it as a protest but it came out as a plea. Stefan bit his lip hating this sign of weakness.

Stefan rose to his feet unsteadily and had to grab for Klaus's arm when he couldn't retain his balance. Klaus had been closely watching him and immediately offered a bent elbow, allowing Stefan to latch onto him.

Stefen's feverish eyes closed as he struggled to overcome dizziness and nausea. When he opened them he murmured. "Woozy." Then after a moment "What's wrong?"

"You got a little rambunctious and snotty and I had to discipline you a few times." Klaus airily explained.

He waited but when Stefan didn't ask he offered. "I have every intention of healing you but this will keep you from straying while this" He pointed around. "gets cleaned up."

Klaus waited until Stefan could stand by himself and then looked around and found his jeans. He pulled them up and did a quick reconnaissance of the camp site where they had somehow ended up last night. He found a couple of tarps and he bundled the bloodless body parts into a large and small bundle.

Handing Stefan the smaller bundle he ordered. "Spread these out in the woods . . in animal dens, under rocks, bury them in leaves, and then meet me back here."

He turned and with his back to Stefan added. "Don't even think of trying to run away or go somewhere to lay down and die. I can track the putrid smell of your wounds anywhere."

With that last shot Klaus became a blur.

Stefan stood for a moment and then moved at human speed to complete his chore.

They finished up at around the same time, rendezvousing back at the camp site. Klaus finished dressing, frowning reprovingly at Stefan's blood stained and torn clothes. "You're such a sloppy eater. You really should get naked next time."

Stefan shook his head weakly. "No next time. I can't do this. Just let me die."

"Just let me die." Klaus mimicked in a high pitched little girl voice. "Just let me die."

He continued in his normal tones. "You are not going to die. It's time for a real life as a vampire, not masquerading as a human to impress a girl." He paused and added. "Oh, by the way, she's dead. Did I forget to mention that? I know you and your brother have been frantically looking for her, but there it is." He spread his arms out dramatically. "She's dead and the body's burnt so dear mumsy can't pull any other tricks from the other side. Alaric bit the dust when she did." He thought for a second and added. "Burnt him too."

He totally ignored Stefan's anguished sob and the hot tears rolling down his face, concentrating on rolling up his sleeve and biting his arm. He quickly forced his bleeding wrist into Stefan's open mouth forcing him to swallow the gushing blood. When Stefan was released he spit out the remainder in his mouth but it was in vain, he was already starting to heal.

The vampire reeled, grieving Elena's death, tortured by his failure to control himself, even futilely attacking Klaus, only to be gently swatted away.

Stefan collapsed to his knees, tired of fighting his demons, his head lolling back. "I'll go to my brother. He'll help me."

Klaus was instantly behind him, snaking an arm like a steel band up across Stefan's chest, his hand reaching to clasp the vampire by the shoulder blade. He brushed his face through Stefan's hair using the pressure of his cheek to force Stefan's head aside, exposing the jugular. Yellow eyes flashed and a double set of canines exerted enough pressure to indent the sensitive neck skin. He let them rest just slicing the top lay of the epidermis, but not deep enough to draw blood, before withdrawing to place his lips a hair's breadth from Stefan's ear.

"We are brothers. You were the one who said so."

"I take care of family Stefan. When I leave the tawdry sad little town of Mystic Falls I'll take Caroline and you with me and she and I will make sure you're the dutiful little heroic vampire, totally in control of his evil urges. Your ripper will only come out for special occasions. We'll be a family within the Original family. Everything is possible now Stefan. The whole world is waiting for us. Imagine, not bound by any petty moral values, we'll be above it all."

He stood, tugging Stefan up with him. He pulled the vampire along as he walked, an arm slung over Stefan's shoulder, outlining the future he had planned for them, his free hand making expansive descriptive gestures.


	5. Chapter 5

Klaus paused in the doorway to the bedroom of the expensive hotel suite. He leaned against the doorframe, legs and arms crossed, smiling fondly at the sight of the two figures on the bed. Caroline and Stefan were entwined, fully clothed, in each other's arms. Tear tracks were still visible on their faces.

Caroline was devastated to learn that what she feared was true - Tyler dead at Klaus' hands. Elena's death on top of that had almost broken her. She and Stefan turned to each other in their mutual grief and Klaus was satisfied with the way things were progressing.

The vampire quietly heeled off his shoes and noiselessly crossed the room to the king size bed. The expensive mattress did not betray him by dipping as he climbed onto the bed. He slid over until he was next to Stefan. He gently and smoothly lifted Caroline across his body, resting her head on his chest instead of Stefan's, wrapping an arm around her. When Stefan murmured a sleepy protest, Klaus slid an arm under him, also turning him into his body.

Sandwiched between his two loves he gently kissed the tops of their heads. Rebekah was joining him tomorrow and they would begin the search for Elijah. He closed his eyes, completely content for the first times in centuries.

~FIN~


End file.
